United States of America as Represented by the Secretary of the Air Force

Jeffrey M Ganley

Brice Aaron Johnson

Barry P Van West

Peter M Wegner

A method for fabricating a grid-stiffened structure from fiber-reinforced composite materials. A skin is applied to a smooth, hard base tool. Ribs comprised of carbon-fiber tows are formed on the skin, and shallow cavities are formed between the ribs and the skin. An expansion block is placed in each of the cavities, and is held in place by an elastomeric contact adhesive having adhesive properties that are substantially diminished when the adhesive is heated to an elevated curing temperature. The assembly is then autoclave cured. After cooling, the formed structure is separated from the base tool and the expansion blocks are removed from the cavities. A grid-stiffened sandwich structure is formed by applying an outer skin over the ribs and expansion blocks, before curing the assembly. After cooling, the outer skin is removed to allow extraction of the blocks, and subsequently bonded to the ribs.

Method for fabricating rib-stiffened composite structures

Method for fabricating grid-stiffened composite structures

A method for fabricating a grid-stiffened structure from fiber-reinforced composite materials. Ribs are formed on a smooth hard base tool. Expansion blocks are placed in the shallow cavities formed by the ribs and the base tool, and held in place by one of several means while a skin is placed over the ribs, expansion blocks, and base tool. The assembly is then placed in a vacuum bag and autoclave cured. After cooling, the formed structure is separated from the base tool and the expansion blocks are removed from the cavities. This abstract is provided to comply with the rules requiring an abstract, and is intended to allow a searcher or other reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims.

A method for fabricating a grid-stiffened structure from fiber-reinforced composite materials. Ribs are formed on a smooth hard base tool. Expansion blocks are placed in the shallow cavities formed by the ribs and the base tool, and held in place by a synthetic elastomer-based adhesive while a skin is placed over the ribs, expansion blocks, and base tool. The assembly is then placed in a vacuum bag and autoclave cured. After cooling, the expansion blocks are removed and the formed structure is removed from the hard base tool. This abstract is provided to comply with the rules requiring an abstract, and is intended to allow a searcher or other reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims.

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Albuquerque, NM, United States of America

Jeffrey M Ganley